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Georgians Discuss Ways to Boost Trade

Iran and Georgia should take necessary measures to increase their annual trade which is currently hovering around $200 million, deputy minister of cooperatives, labor and social welfare Naqi Hosseini said on Monday, addressing the Iran-Georgia Fifth Joint Economic Cooperation Committee in Tehran.

The two-day event was attended by a number of high ranking Iranian and Georgian government officials including Iran’s Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare Ali Rabiei and Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Giorgi Kvirikashvili.

“The two countries can cooperate in the areas of transit and energy. Iranian companies are highly experienced in launching hydro-electric power plants, refineries and ports facilities, which should be taken into consideration by the Georgians,” Hosseini was quoted by IRNA as saying.

The deputy minister called for the expansion of bilateral trade based on preferential tariffs.

Earlier, head of Iran-Georgia joint Commercial Council, Fatemeh Moghimi described Georgia as an “emerging trade partner.” She said Georgia’s port city of Poti could act as a gateway for Iranian products to the Black Sea and eventually the European Union, providing Iran with an alternative route to Europe besides Turkey. She also touched on the problems faced by Iranian traders in obtaining visas, saying “negotiations have been held with the Georgian ambassador to facilitate the visa process.”

Iran’s exports to Georgia exceed its imports. Construction materials such as cement, plaster, bitumen and glass are among Iran’s major exports, while imports mainly include agricultural products.